Shoe cleat



Dec. 24, 1946.

A IIIIIIIIVI v Inventor ANTON/0 DE STEFANO B ZMMS Dec. 24, 1946. A. DE STEFANO B 2,413,177

Filed Nov. 29, 1945 l 2 sheets-sheet 2 Flr-g. 5. g

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atenteci Dec. 24, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sHoE oLEA'r Antonio de Stefano B, El Paso, Tex.

Application November 29, 1945, Serial No. 631,641

This invention relates to shoe cleats and it is one object of the invention to provide shoe cleats which may be riveted o-r otherwise firmly secured vagainst the sole and the heel of a shoe and serve very eiiectively to prevent a person wearing shoes equipped with the cleats from slipping when Walking upon decks on which oil has been spilled, but at the same time so form the cleats that While they may firmly grip the slippery deck, they will not be liable to cause sparks which would have a tendency to ignite gasoline. It will thus be seen that while a person wearing shoes equipped with the improved cleats may walk upon slippery decks of a tanker loaded with oil or gasoline, there will be no danger of sparks being formed which would be lia-ble to ignite oil or gasoline with which the boat is loaded and causing destruction of the -boat by burning or by an explosion.

Another object of the invention is to provide cleats including base members adapted to be riveted to the soles and heels of shoes and pads which are removably applied to the base members so that when they become worn to such an extent that they are no longer useful they may be removed and new pads applied.

Another object of the invention is to so form the pads that each consists of a plurality of strips of abrasive material such as emery cloth, the strips being firmly bound in flat, face-to-face engagement with each other, and reinforced by metal strips or rails so shaped that they may engage under side anges of base members which carry the pads.

Another object or the invention is to provide cleats so formed that they extend transversely of the sole and heel of a shoe in such position that when the pads of deck-gripping strips are subjected to pressure caused by the weight of a person wearing shoes equipped with the cleats, a very firm grip will be obtained upon the deck, but the person is allowed to Walk easily and without inconvenience due to use of the cleats.

A further object of the invention is to provide cleats which are simple in construction, very easy to apply to shoes, and capable of being readily removed and new cleats or pads substituted.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a, View looking at the bottom of a shoe having cleats of the improved construction applied to a sole and heel,

Figure 2 is a side view of the front portion of the shoe,

s claims. (oi. 36-59) Figure 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a View showing one of the cleats partially in side elevation and partially in section,

Figure 5 is a view looking at the lower face of the base member of a cleat of the improved construction,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken transversely through the base member along the line 6-6 of Figure 5, Y

Figure '7 is a bottom plan view of one of the side rails between which a pad is mounted,

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of theother side rail,

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the side rail of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is an end view of the side rail Figure 7 viewed from the left end,

Figure 11 is an end view of the other side rail, and

Figure 12 is an end view of a pad forming part of a cleat.

The improved cleats are to be applied to the sole I and the heel 2 of a shoe 3, and referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2, it will be seen that the cleats extend transversely of the. shoe and are spaced VVfrom each other longitudinally thereof. The cleats, which are indicated in general by the numerals Il, are of duplicate construction and each has a base plate 5 formed of sheet metal having large openings 6 formed in spaced relation to each other longitudinally of said base plate, as shown in Figure 5, in order to reduce the weight of the base. There have also been provided openings 'I for receiving rivets 8 by means of which the base plate is rmly secured against the under surface of the sole or the heel or a shoe. Side edge portions of the plate are bent to form flanges 9 defining channels or tracks I EI and since these channels are open at their ends, binding strips or rails II at opposite sides of a gripping pad I2 may be slid longitudinally into place and hold the pads in close contacting engagement with the base plate, as shown in Figure 3. The pad I2 consists of a number of strips I3 of abrasive material such as emery cloth, the number of strips used being such that when they are placed in side by side engagement with each other and the rails II secured by a suitable number of pins I4 passed through registering openings in the strips and through openings I5 in the Side rails, the pad will be of such width that it will t between the side anges of the base plate and anges I6 of the rails iit snugly in the channels Il) of the flanges 9. When forming the pad of the strips I3 they have their side faces coated with a water-proof cement II, such as roof-lng cement, for approximately half the depth or thickness of the pad, and thus cause this upper portion of the pad to be substantially a solid block. This removes strain from the pins or rivets I4, allows the pad to be more rmly gripped between the side rails II, and reduces to a minimum likelihood of the strips being torn loose when shoes equipped with the improved cleats are in use. The flanges I I3 o f the side rails II are of such length that their end portions project from ends of the rails and provide tongues I8 and I9. The tongues I8 are bent upwardly to provide abutments adapted to engage ends of the flanges 9 and limit longitudinal sliding of the pad and the rails when the pad is moved into place. The free end portions of the tongues I8 are then bent over to provide tongues I8' having pinching engagement with ends of the flanges 9 and the tongues or strips I9 are then similarly bent with their end portions I9 in pinching engagement with opposite ends of the flanges 9. Short tongues 20 project from the rails II in spaced relation to each other longitudinally thereof and these tongues engage the side flanges 9 of the base plate to assist in holding the cleats to the base plate. When the shoes to which the improvedcleats are applied are in use, the pads will be firmly held to the base plate and since lower portions of the strips from which the pads are formed are free from each other, they may be spread by weight of a person Wearing the shoes and thus caused to have firm gripping engagement with a slippery deck. When the strips forming the pads are Worn to such an extent that they are no longer serviceable, the bent tongues I9 may be straightened, the pads slid out oi place from between the flanges of the base plates, and new pads applied very easily.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear` understanding of theinevntion after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in the shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the eld of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

l. A shoe cleat comprising a base plate adapted to be secured firmly against the under surface of a shoe and provided along its side edges with flanges dening internal channels constituting tracks, a pad for fitting between the flanges of the base plate, and strips extending along opposite side faces of said pad and constituting mounting rails having outstanding flanges engaged in the tracks of the flanges of the base plate, said rails having members bent to engage ends of the flanges of the base plate and firmly hold the pad in place.

2. A shoe cleat comprising a base plate having side'flanges defining tracks extending longitudinally of the plate and open at their ends, a pad consisting of a plurality of strips of abrasive material disposed in face-to-face engagement with each other and adhering to each other to provide the pad with a substantially solid upper portion, side rails extending along opposite side portions of the united upper portions of said strips and having outstanding flanges for engaging in the track of the base plate, pins passing transversely through the pads and the side rails', tongues spaced from each other longitudinally of the side rails and projecting outwardly therefrom in overlapping engagement with the flanges of the base plate, and tongues at ends of the side rails bent downwardly against ends of the base plate and inwardly in overlapping engagement therewith to prevent longitudinal movement of the side rails and hold the pads in place between the anges of the base plate.

3. A shoe cleat comprising a base plate for extending transversely across the under surface of a shoe, flanges extending along opposite side edge portions of said base plate, a pad extending longitudinally of the base plate between the side flanges thereof and formed from a plurality of strips of abrasive material in side-by-side relation to each other, and rails extending along opposite sides of the pad and engaging the side flanges to removably hold the pad in place.

ANTONIO DE STEFANO B. 

